KUCI: Ask A Leader

We are 1 week away from CA Primary Election Day, March 5th. On today’s roster is our last candidate: Crystal Miles, Villa Park City Council member, running as a Republican in the CA State Senate 37th District. Other candidates either did not reply, were unavailable for interview, have appeared in past election cycles, or are not actively campaigning. In today’s second segment (approx. minute 27:15...

As our primary coverage continues, our first guest is Dr. Nancy Watkins, education professional and OC Board of Education candidate running for trustee in Area 3. This area includes: Fullerton, Brea, Placentia, Yorba Linda, Orange, Foothill Ranch, Villa Park, central and North Irvine, Portola Hills, Anaheim Hills, portions of Lake Forest and Tustin. This is 3 of 5 trustee races that are on the CA...

We are 3 weeks out from CA Primary Election Day, March 5th. Our vote-by-mail ballots are delivered; on Feb. 24th select vote centers will open, 25 with a drive through ballot drop off. The Registrar of Voters office will be open for the entire voting period. Information is available at: https://www.ocvote.gov/VIG . AAL continues coverage of the primary; on today’s roster are 2 State Senator candid...

Yesterday vote-by-mail ballot mailing began, California! Feb. 20th last day to register to vote, Feb. 24th select vote centers (183) open, inc 37 open for 11 days, 146 open for 4 days & 25 with a drive through ballot drop off, Registrar of Voters office will be open for the entire voting period. Information available at: https://www.ocvote.gov/VIG . In the service of that effort is AAL’s cover...

Shawn Khalifa had a whole lot more to say about his transition to academia and the world beyond. Have a listen.

Today we begin coverage of the CA primary, a mere 5 weeks away. Community radio has an additional responsibility in this coverage as we all note the dwindling coverage of the OC politics in the area newspaper the L.A. Times. We first hear from CA State Senator Dave Min, one of the several candidates I’ll be interviewing, who are running in the CA 47th Congressional District, in the seat vacated by...

Dr. Dana Mukamel, economist and UCI professor of medicine, will talk about her findings in the Health Services Research journal published Dec 2023, in collaboration with Heather Ladd, Debra Saliba, and Tamara Konextzka; all of who whom have found that not just adding staff, but specialized training and a more stable labor will improve outcomes in American nursing home care, including dementia care...

Today our guests for the full hour are three young women applying to colleges and universities in what we’re referring to as the post "Dobbs" era, where abortion and reproductive healthcare are highly restricted if not effectively banned in seventeen states. Offering their personal reflections, choices, and experiences as higher education applicants in this moment are: University High School senio...

Today our guests cover the world in two different ways, two different constructs. We start with Richard Downie, President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Orange County, talking about the forums and mentoring that his local chapter offers the community. He surveys some highlights and moves into what they’ve got planned for 2024. In the second segment (approx. minute 30:00) Alonzo King Co-Fo...

For the larger share of the hour is Climate Action policy director, Ayn Craciun. She talks about local public works, public advocacy, and will later cover her public office aspirations this fall. Of interest are: the redirection of Orange County Power Authority; warehouses in the land-use mix; the single use plastics non-ban; and the CA March 5th Primary ballot down ticket item-the Irvine City Cha...

Matt generously spoke at greater length in this session. This portion completes the whole.

Shahir Masri, an environmental scientist, who identifies as a Lebanese American, uses his science and grass roots sensibilities to address the human public health catastrophe in Gaza. In the second segment (approx. minute 41:05), cellist extraordinaire Matt Haimovitz speaks about the possibilities and power of his musical instrument, especially in times like these. An extension of Matt's interview...

Today for the larger share of the hour is As You Sow's CEO, Andrew Behar. Depending on time remaining, a summary on last Saturday’s World Affairs Council Orange County event showcasing Retired Lt. General HR McMasters - or other special segments, still up the host’s sleeve. Andrew is the headline act, given the long range and deep portfolio that his smart and nimble non-profit accomplishes year in...

This is an extension of the interview with Adriana Jasso. The host sought extra context for what it feels like to be providing aide amidst such a wide range of needs.

Sometimes we just need to cover a lot of ground, starting with Adriana Jasso, Human Rights Advocate based in San Diego, California. She speaks in her capacity as the Program Coordinator for the U.S./Mexico Border Program of the American Friends Service Committee, at various open-air detention sites in San Diego County. During the annual tradition of La Posada, Adriana takes stock of what the inn a...

Over the full hour we cover an ambitious City of Irvine update with Branda Lin, Irvine Planning Commissioner; and Adam Cavecche, the supervising Principal Council Executive to Irvine City Council member Kathleen Treseder. On the municipal menu are: the failed single use plastics ordinance, warehouse creep, Irvine’s lobbying rules, the civil servant exodus, and the level of city commissioners’ trai...

Natasha Frolova, associate professor and crisis psychologist in the Dept. of Psychology and Social Work at Dnipro National University in Ukraine, speaks as a Fulbright scholar in residence at UC Irvine, working with trauma social scientist Roxanne Cohen Silver. She has the full hour to chart the dimensions of trauma experienced in Ukraine as she continues to build onto approaches toward addressing...

For the full hour is Lisa Bunker; writer, transgender activist, former New Hampshire state legislator, and fellow community radio aficionado. Based now in Sacramento, they are currently on the book tour circuit with their latest book, “Almond, Quartz, and Finch,” published by New Wind. Available at: https://www.lisabunker.net/ or your favorite independent book dealer. Someday, it would make a wond...

In his capacity as a member of the Irvine City Council, Larry Agran returns to talk about the special measure before Irvine voters on the March 2024 primary ballot. This special municipal election measure would amend the city’s charter to expand the number of council members to serve on the City Council and create of districts in which they would run. https://www.cityofirvine.org/government/city-c...

Gabe Rosales, UCI Criminology, Law and Society Ph. D. candidate, professional musician, and advocate - has a whole lot to tell us about bringing music to the carceral setting, particularly at Donovan State Prison. We hear about the remarkable yields, when a system chooses rehabilitation over punitive measures, a fertile continuation of the reforms discussed with UCI professor Keramet Reiter on AAL...

For the full hour we get more tricks than treats from Bryan Cunningham - UCI Law professor, Executive Director of UCI’s Cybersecurity Policy and Research Institute, practicing attorney, and vigorous Twitter Space contributor. Admittedly only an introduction to the pernicious workings of disinformation, misinformation, and even mal-information, the host hopes to resume this discussion, covering the...

Returning to the show, this time together, are: Dr. Ara Apkarian, UCI Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, and Dr. Kev Abazajian Professor of Physics & Astronomy and the Director of the Center for Cosmology at UCI. Ara and Kev have a lot on their minds with the geopolitics taking place, from the campus to the Caucasus. They speak truth to power - a tale of two University of California chancel...

For the full hour we hear from UCI anthropology professor, and award winning author, filmmaker, and playwright, Roxanne Varzi. She is rolling out a whole new creative enterprise: the Armchair Anthropology Whodunit Series, “Death in a Nutshell,” a murder mystery, is the first book in a series. This genre offers another way for her to examine and interpret anthropologists’ assumptions and roles in t...

UCI political science professor Matthew Beckmann returns to talk about the impossible job of the American presidency amidst legislative currents, some of which flow right up to a bluff. Watch next summer for his latest book: "The President's Day; Every Day Work in an Impossible Job." In the second segment (approx. minute 37:00) is playwright and director Octavio Solis, with his play now being perf...

Returning to the show is UCI Professor Keramet Reiter, Professor with appointments at UCI’s Dept. of Criminology, Law, and Society and UCI’s Law School; and founding director of “Lifted,” a prison education program in the UC system. Her acclaimed writings include her book: "23/7; Pelican Bay Prison and the Rise of Long-Term Solitary Confinement." She brings insight into solitary confinement reform...